On Deck: The Creighton softball team begins a six-game road swing Wednesday evening at No. 20 Nebraska. In the final non-conference game for both squads, the Bluejays are looking to even the home-and-home series after the Cornhuskers escaped with a 4-3 victory on April 3 at the CU Sports Complex.

Creighton (26-12, 12-3 MVC) is currently in first place in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). The Jays are perched atop the standings 1.5 games ahead of second-place Drake with just two weeks of conference softball action remaining.

Nebraska (34-10, 12-4 Big Ten) is ranked No. 20 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) poll released on Tuesday and stand No. 16 in the latest ESPN/USA Softball rankings. The Huskers are currently in second place in the Big Ten behind No. 9 Michigan. NU hosts the Wolverines later this weekend.

In the teams’ last meeting on April 3 in Omaha, CU jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a two-run homer from junior Alexis Cantu in the bottom of the first frame. Nebraska answered with back-to-back homers in the top of the second to knot the game at 2-2. The Huskers added a single run in both the fifth and seventh innings to make it 4-2 heading into CU’s final at-bat.

A one-out RBI single from junior Blair Lowe scored a run to cut the Husker lead to 4-3 with runners on the corners. The Jays loaded the bases with one out but Nebraska pitcher Tatum Edwards recorded two strikeouts to end the game.

Nebraska claimed a 3-0 victory during the teams’ last meeting in Lincoln in 2012.

Last weekend CU junior pitcher Becca Changstrom became just the third Bluejay in program history to record 200 strikeouts in a season. She eclipsed the mark against Southern Illinois on Sunday. Changstrom joins former Creighton aces Tammy Nielsen and Tara Oltman in the exclusive club. Her 208 K’s this season ranks No. 8 all-time in the CU record books.

After claiming the MVC career home run record outright three weeks ago, Creighton senior Amy Baker became the first player to eclipse the Valley RBI record two weeks ago.

However, Baker is in an active battle with Illinois State senior Elizabeth Kay to hold on to the top RBI mark. Last weekend Kay posted six RBI at Wichita State to jump Baker in the active standings at 165. Baker now trails the Redbird by just one at 164 career runs batted in.

Following the Jays: Live stats links for the game can be found on the softball schedule page of GoCreighton.com. Fans can also keep in touch with Creighton softball on Twitter - @BluejaySoftball and Facebook - www.facebook.com/CreightonSoftball.

Last Time Out: For the first time since 2009, Creighton welcomed Southern Illinois to Omaha for a Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) series. The Jays took two out of three contests to claim their fifth MVC series win of the year and remain in first place in the Valley standings.

Creighton won a wild series opener in dramatic fashion. After seven complete innings of scoreless ball, SIU and Creighton exploded for 11 runs in the eighth inning. After the Salukis posted five runs in the top of the frame, Creighton answered with six in the bottom of the eighth to cap a dramatic come-from-behind victory.

The Bluejays batted around in the bottom of the eighth as freshman Blake Ringle ripped a three-run pinch hit homer and junior Ellen Homan ended the game with a two-RBI bases-loaded single for the 6-5 win.

Southern Illinois snapped Creighton’s season-long six-game win streak with a 6-1 victory in game two. The Bluejays blanked SIU 5-0 in the finale to capture the series win.

Creighton hit .310 in the series scoring 12 runs on 26 hits. Three Bluejays hit .400 or better over the three-game series. Creighton hit four homers on the weekend including a pair from junior Alexis Cantu and one each from Ringle and senior Amy Baker. Sophomore Liz Dike finished the weekend with a .417 average at the dish with a 5-of-12 effort.

Junior pitcher Becca Changstrom went undefeated against Southern Illinois with a pair of complete-game victories while surpassing the 200-strikeout mark.

In her two starts against the Salukis, Changstrom pitched 15.0 innings giving up just five runs on 10 hits, resulting in an ERA of 2.33. She only allowed the Salukis one inning of scoring all weekend and shut out SIU in the series finale.

The Lincoln, Neb., native struck out 23 Salukis on the weekend with a pair of double-digit strikeout performances. With a dozen K's in game one and 11 more in game three she increased her season total of double-digit strikeout efforts to 11 this season to lead the Valley.

As a result, Changstrom claimed MVC Pitcher of the Week honors for her play.

Scouting Creighton (26-12, 12-3 MVC): After claiming its fifth MVC series of the year by taking two of three games against visiting Southern Illinois last weekend, Creighton has won 11 of its last 14 games dating back to March 16.

The Bluejays are now 7-3 at home this year, but play the next six contests on the road beginning with a single game at No. 20 Nebraska on Wednesday evening. Creighton is 6-3 in true road games this season and has won its last four on the road.

CU has won each of its first five MVC series resulting in a 12-3 record for first place in the MVC and a 26-12 record overall. The Jays are 1.5 games ahead of Drake in the standings.

Junior pitcher Becca Changstrom went undefeated against Southern Illinois with a pair of complete-game victories while surpassing the 200-strikeout mark. The right-handed pitcher fanned her 200th batter of the year on Sunday against SIU to become just the third pitcher in program history to accomplish the feat, joining former Bluejay aces Tammy Nielsen and Oltman.

Changstrom’s 208 strikeouts this season ranks eighth all-time in the CU record books. Her total is more than eight of the Valley’s pitching staff totals this season for K’s and equal to Bradley’s staff total of 208 combined strikeouts.

The Lincoln, Neb., native struck out 23 Salukis on the weekend with a pair of double-digit strikeout performances. With a dozen K's in game one and 11 more in game three she increased her season total of double-digit strikeout efforts to 11 this season to lead the Valley.

In the circle, CU junior pitchers Changstrom and Alexis Cantu are among the top five in the Valley ERA standings. Changstrom leads the MVC with a 1.56 ERA while Cantu boasts a 2.73 ERA. As a staff, the Jays lead the conference with a 2.23 ERA and 274 strikeouts.

With two RBI on the weekend, senior Amy Baker increased her career total to 164. Baker became the first player to eclipse the old Valley RBI record two weeks ago. However, Baker is in an active battle with Illinois State senior Elizabeth Kay to hold on to the top RBI mark. Last weekend Kay posted six RBI at Wichita State to jump Baker in the active standings at 165. Baker now trails the Redbird by just one at 164 career runs batted in.

Baker also extended her MVC home run career record to 57 with a solo shot last weekend against Southern Illinois.

Three Jays enter the midweek contest at Nebraska on hitting streaks of five games or more. Baker has hit in nine straight contests and reached base safely in 36 straight games this season. Junior Blair Lowe owns a seven-game hits streak and sophomore Liz Dike has posted a hit in five consecutive games. Each streak is a season-long effort for the respective player.

Three Creighton players have started all 38 games and are hitting .300 or better in 2013 including Baker (.409), Dike (.348) and Lowe (.327). Creighton ranks fifth in the Valley with a .271 batting average. The Jays’ 43 home runs and .465 slugging percentage are tops in the MVC.

Scouting No. 20 Nebraska (34-10, 12-4 BIG TEN): Nebraska enters the single game Wednesday after taking two out of three games at Purdue last weekend. The Huskers are in second place in the Big Ten, four games behind No. 9 Michigan.

NU is ranked No. 20 in latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) poll released today up one spot from last week. The Cornhuskers are 11-2 at home in Bowlin Stadium this season and are currently riding a three-game win streak in those friendly confines.

Nebraska has won eight of their last 10 games overall. The Cornhuskers have only lost back-to-back games once all year to then-No. 10 Cal and No. 1 Oklahoma a month into the season. Nebraska fell to Purdue 6-5 in its series finale on Sunday.

The Cornhuskers are one of three teams to defeat the top-ranked Sooners this season when NU split a doubleheader against OU on March 2 in Norman. Since that win over Oklahoma, the Huskers are 23-5.

Five of the Huskers’ 10 overall losses have come against ranked squads. The exceptions include Sunday’s loss at Purdue and Big Ten road losses at Illinois and Iowa. Wisconsin beat Nebraska in Lincoln, as did North Dakota State.

At the plate NU is hitting .296 as a team. Four regular Husker starters are hitting .316 or better at the plate in 2013 including Alicia Armstrong (.385), Taylor Edwards (.352), Brooke Thomason (.336), and Jordan Bettiol (.316).

Thomason and Armstrong lead the team with 47 hits apiece. Edwards boasts 11 homers and 47 RBI to go with a .703 slugging percentage to lead the Huskers.

In the circle, Tatum Edwards leads Nebraska with 25 starts and 31 appearances. She carries a 1.95 ERA with a 21-7 mark and 165 K’s this year. Emily Lockman leads Nebraska with a 1.55 ERA while registering 77 strikeouts and a 13-3 record.

Head Coach: The winningest coach in Creighton athletics history, Brent Vigness is in his 20th season at the helm of one of the most successful programs in the Midwest and Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). He carries a 632-440-3 record in 19-plus seasons at Creighton and boasts a 780-51-4 overall record that includes five years at Assumption College prior to beginning at CU.

A three-time MVC Coach of the Year, he has led the Bluejays to six MVC regular-sea­son titles (1998-2000, 2007-09), six Valley tournament titles (1999, 2003-05, 2007, 2010) and seven NCAA regional appearances (1999, 2003-05, 2007-08, 2010). He claimed MVC Coach of the Year honors in 1998 and guided the MVC Coaching Staffs of the Year in 2007 and 2008.

Vigness coached his 1,000th game at Creighton and recorded his 600th win at CU in 2012.

Creighton-Nebraska Series: Nebraska leads the all-time series with Creighton 80-37 after claiming a 4-3 win over the Bluejays on April 3 at the CU Sports Complex.

Last season each team won on its home field. The Bluejays beat the Huskers 2-1 at home in their 2012 meeting after Nebraska claimed the first game of 2012 by a score of 3-0 in Lincoln.

Creighton has won eight of the last 18 meetings between the schools. The Bluejays have faced the Huskers more than any other team in school history. The teams first met in Omaha on April 26, 1978 with Nebraska winning 12-1 before Creighton edged the Huskers 6-5 in the nightcap of a doubleheader.

The teams have met at least twice each year since 1978 with the exception of the 1986 and 1987 seasons when the schools did not play on the diamond.

The teams’ first postseason meeting was at the 1982 Women’s College World Series when Nebraska edged Creighton 3-2 in eight innings. Since then Creighton is 2-4 against Nebraska in postseason meetings at the 1988, 2004 and 2007 NCAA Regionals hosted in Lincoln.

Creighton has won 21 of the 52 games of the series played in Omaha. The Jays have won 16 of 65 in Lincoln.

CU head coach Brent Vigness is 12-49 overall against Nebraska but has led the Jays to a virtual split with the Huskers since 2005 with an 8-10 mark versus NU.

Changstrom Earns Fourth MVC Pitcher of the Week Honor of Season: For the fourth time this year Creighton softball junior Becca Changstrom earned Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Pitcher of the Week honors after posting two wins over Southern Illinois last weekend and eclipsing the 200-strikeout mark for the season, the conference office announced Monday.

The four awards earned by Changstrom this season are the most since former CU pitcher Tara Oltman won five weekly honors in 2008. Changstrom has also claimed three MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week laurels in 2013.

Changstrom went undefeated against Southern Illinois with a pair of complete-game victories while surpassing the 200-strikeout mark. The right-handed pitcher fanned her 200th batter of the year on Sunday against SIU to become just the third pitcher in program history to accomplish the feat, joining former Bluejay aces Tammy Nielsen and Oltman. Changstrom’s 208 strikeouts this season ranks eighth all-time in the CU record books.

In her two starts against the Salukis, Changstrom pitched 15.0 innings giving up just five runs on 10 hits, resulting in an ERA of 2.33. She only allowed the Salukis one inning of scoring all weekend and shut out SIU in the series finale.

The Lincoln, Neb., native struck out 23 Salukis on the weekend with a pair of double-digit strikeout performances. With a dozen K's in game one and 11 more in game three she increased her season total of double-digit strikeout efforts to 11 this season to lead the Valley. The rest of the league owns just seven games total with 10 or more strikeouts. No other MVC pitcher can claim more than three such efforts in 2013.

Changstrom held SIU batters to just a .185 batting average and only yielded five walks. Changstrom leads the Valley in ERA (1.56), strikeouts (208), opposing batting average (.195) and wins (19).

The award marks the sixth career MVC Pitcher of the Week accolade for Changstrom. She also earned the award in back-to-back weeks last month (March 11 and 18) for her efforts in Evansville and at the Rebel Spring Games. Additionally, Changstrom earned recognition on Feb. 25 with her showing in the circle at the Central Arkansas Tournament. Previously Changstrom won a single conference weekly honor in each of her first two seasons.

The weekly award pushes the Bluejays’ total to five this season. Senior Amy Baker claimed Player of the Week honors on March 18.

Lowe Named MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week: Creighton softball junior Blair Lowe claimed Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Scholar-Athlete of the Week honors on April 17 after a prolific weekend at the plate at Indiana State that included her first pair of home runs of 2013.

The award marks Lowe’s first career MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week honor. It is the fourth scholar-athlete award claimed by a Bluejay this season. Junior Becca Changstrom claimed the other three earlier this year.

Lowe recorded a stellar performance at the plate last weekend. Lowe came into the series with one career homer but hit two out of Price Field at ISU as she posted a .636 average at the plate on 7-of-11 hitting that also included two doubles.

She capitalized on batting in the leadoff position in all three games last weekend after batting at the top of the lineup just twice earlier this season. Lowe’s 15 total bases and slugging percentage of 1.364 led the team against the Sycamores.

Lowe owns nine hits over the last five games and has reached base safely in each of the last 11 contests.

She stands first on the team with eight doubles in 2013 and is second on the team with 23 runs scored and 11 multiple-hit games. Lowe’s batting average of .337, 33 hits, 13 walks, .420 on-base percentage and five multiple-RBI games all rank third on the team this year.

A nursing major, Lowe owns a 3.493 grade-point average.

Creighton and the NCAA RPI: Creighton currently stands at No. 62 out of 291 squads in the NCAA ratings percentage index (RPI) compiled on Monday.

The Bluejays are 3-3 this season against teams ranked ahead of them in the latest calculations.

CU dropped a 5-2 contest on opening day to No. 45 San Diego State on Feb. 7 at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz.

A day later at the Classic this week’s No. 2 Florida squad defeated Creighton 13-3. Later that same day the Bluejays toppled No. 36 Oregon State, 5-3.

The Jays overwhelmed No. 57 Ball State 7-1 at the Central Arkansas Tournament on Feb. 22.

Creighton also owns a 4-3 win in eight innings over this week’s No. 24 team, Tulsa, at the UTA Maverick Invitational on March 2.

On April 3, No. 10 Nebraska escaped with a 4-3 victory over the Bluejays at the CU Sports Complex.

Illinois State is the only Missouri Valley Conference team ranked higher than the Jays; the Redbirds currently rate No. 44. Illinois State and Creighton cancelled their season series due to inclement weather on Monday.

Baker Ranks Among Top 12 in Three NCAA Offensive Categories: Senior Amy Baker ranks No. 5 nationally in slugging percentage (.909). She stands at No. 6 in the country for home runs per game (0.42). Baker’s season home run total of 16 is tied for No. 12 in the country this week.

Bluejays’ NCAA Rankings this Week: Creighton ranks No. 24 in the country at 1.13 home runs per game in the latest NCAA weekly statistical rankings released April 21.

With 1.45 doubles per game, the team also rates at No. 37 in the country. The Bluejays stand at No. 40 nationally with an earned run average of 2.23. Creighton’s slugging percentage of .463 ranks No. 48 in the NCAA.

Individually, junior Becca Changstrom’s average of 9.0 strikeouts per seven innings stands at No. 19 in the NCAA as does her season strikeout total of 208. Changstrom’s total of six shutouts in 2013 is tied for No. 24 nationally. Her 1.56 ERA rates No. 26 in the country.

Baker Writes Recipe for Record-Setting Success in 2013: Senior Amy Baker’s solo homer last weekend helped the Omaha native extend the Missouri Valley Conference home run record to a career total of 57.

Last month Baker belted career home run No. 52 to spark a come-from-behind victory at Evansville and tie the MVC career home run record held by Abby Olson of Illinois State since 2011.

Baker’s total of 16 homers this year already equals the fourth-best mark for a single season in the CU record books. She is two home runs short of her career-best total of 18 that ranks second all-time in program history.

She also became the first player to eclipse the Valley RBI record two weeks ago. However, Baker is in an active battle with Illinois State senior Elizabeth Kay to hold on to the top RBI mark. Last weekend Kay posted six RBI at Wichita State to jump Baker in the active standings at 165. Baker now trails the Redbird by just one at 164 career runs batted in.

In 2013, Baker has already set Creighton career marks in home runs (57) and runs batted in (164).

Give the Bluejays a Lead and You May Not Get it Back: Creighton is undefeated this season when leading after the third (14-0), fourth (17-0), and sixth (14-0) innings.

The Bluejays also have impressive records with an advantage at the beginning of the game. CU is 10-1 when leading after the first frame and 13-1 when up after two innings. The Jays are 14-1 when leading after five innings.

Creighton's Magic Numbers:

· Creighton is undefeated at 19-0 this season when allowing opponents fewer than three runs.

· The Bluejays are also 20-0 when scoring four or more runs on offense in 2013.

· CU is 20-3 when scoring first this season.

· Creighton is 22-1 when posting more hits than its foes this year.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Just five weeks into the season, junior Alexis Cantu set the Creighton single-season mark for being hit by a pitch at 11. Michelle Graner held the previous CU record of 10 set in 2008.

Cantu’s hit-by-pitch per game average of 0.29 stands No. 36 in the nation.

Cantu was hit multiple times on two occasions this year. Against Arkansas-Pine Bluff she was hit three times in four plate appearances. Cantu was hit by a pitch in each game of the Jays’ series at Evansville. The Aces registered two HBP’s against Cantu in game two sandwiched between one hit-by-pitch in the games one and three.

The junior is currently on a season-long streak of 13 games without being hit by a pitch.

Baker Climbs to the Top of CU Career Record Books: Last month senior Amy Baker claimed the top spot in the all-time Creighton record books for home runs and runs batted in.

The senior’s career total of 57 homers surpassed the previous top mark of 50, set by current assistant coach Renae Sinkler in 2010. Baker has also set the Missouri Valley Conference mark.

With 164 career runs batted in, Baker recently moved past both of her assistant coaches in the rankings Abby Johnson (144) and Sinkler (146) to claim the top spot.

Baker is also among the Creighton career top 10 for batting average, total bases and walks. The Omaha native’s .409 batting average this season would currently rank fifth all-time for a single-season mark in program history.

Baker leads the Valley in home runs (16), total bases (100) and slugging percentage (.909) this season.

Walk It Off in Grand Style: Amy Baker’s walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning against Youngstown State on March 12 secured a 6-2 win and marked the 16th time a CU player hit a walk-off blast since 2001.

The slam also marked the third straight season with a walk-off home run. In 2012

Alexis Cantu’s three-run, walk-off homer in the bottom of the eighth inning vs. Missouri State on May 6 beat the Bears, 5-4.

Cantu’s first career walk-off homer was the first by any Bluejay since Sammy Snygg posted one against Bradley on April 2, 2011.

Stacey Rybar is the last Bluejay with two walk-off homers in the same season (2002), and also the last Bluejay with a walk-off homer in the MVC Tournament (May 10, 2002 vs. UNI).

Homer Cooking: After not hitting a home run in the first two games of 2013, Creighton jacked at least one ball over the fence in 10 consecutive contests before the streak was halted at UT Arlington for three games.

Creighton has drilled a home run in 18 of its last 23 contests, including six multi-homer games. Junior Alexis Cantu each smashed two homers against Southern Illinois last weekend.

Freshman Kelsey Allender’s first career grand slam highlighted the series versus UNI on March 29. The slam was the Jays’ second of the year following Amy Baker’s walk-off grand slam against Youngstown State on March 12.

As a result, CU leads the Valley with 43 homers this season. The Bluejays rank No. 24 nationally with 1.13 home runs per game in the latest NCAA statistical rankings released April 21.

Seven Bluejays have hit multiple home runs this season led by Amy Baker’s league-leading total of 16. Joining Baker with more than one homer in 2013 is sophomore Bri Lingl (6), freshman Blake Ringle (6), Cantu (6) sophomore Liz Dike (3), Lowe (2) and Allender (2).

Allender hit her first career home run of an inside-the-park variety against Grambling State Feb. 24. Allender’s inside-the-park home run is the first since Dike scored two of them last season, the last against Wichita State on April 7, 2012.

Senior Sammy Snygg also rifled a shot over the wall versus then-No. 14 Florida in Creighton’s opening weekend. Junior Ellen Homan drilled a three-run homer at home against Bradley April 6.

Indiana State Series Recap: For the first time since 2005, Creighton posted a road sweep at Indiana State. The Bluejays won game one of a doubleheader 3-1 before dominating the nightcap with a 16-5 victory in five frames Saturday. CU closed the series with a 9-1 victory in six innings on Sunday.

The Jays outscored ISU 28-7 and out-hit the Sycamores 33-15 on the weekend. Six Bluejays hit .400 or better over the three-game series. CU players batted .393 at the plate and finished the weekend with a .798 slugging percentage.

Creighton hit seven homers on the weekend including a pair from senior Amy Baker and two from junior Blair Lowe. Coming into the weekend, Lowe boasted one career home run, but hit two homers out of the Sycamores’ Price Field. Lowe and sophomore Liz Dike finished the weekend with a .636 average at the dish with 7-of-11 efforts.

As a result, Lowe claimed MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week honors for her play in Terre Haute.

In the circle, juniors Becca Changstrom and Alexis Cantu combined for three complete-game victories. Changstrom won games one and three for the Jays, allowing just two earned runs while fanning 19 Sycamores on the weekend including 10 in the finale – her ninth double-digit strikeout effort this season.

Marching into Spring: Creighton finished the month of March with a 14-5 record this year. The Jays closed out the month on a four-game win streak and opened its home season with a three-game sweep of Northern Iowa to take over first place in the Valley.

Last season the Bluejays finished 9-10 in the third month of 2012.

Bradley Series Recap: Creighton took two out of three games from Bradley at home April 6-7. Each game of the series was decided by just one run.

Bradley won the opener 3-2 before the Bluejays came from behind to take game two of a doubleheader 6-5 in eight innings on April 6. CU jumped out to a 3-0 lead April 7 before BU scored two in its final at-bat for a 3-2 Jays’ win.

Senior Amy Baker's pair of home runs against Bradley increased her career total to 54 homers. With 156 career runs batted in, Baker needs just one RBI this week to tie the Valley career RBI record of 157.

Day one of the series ended in dramatic fashion. Junior Ellen Homan connected on a three-run home run just over the right field wall to tie game two at 5-5 in the bottom of the sixth inning. It marked Homan’s first home run of the season and third of her career.

In her first at-bat of the season, junior right-handed pitcher Becca Changstrom capped the come-from-behind victory with a walk-off double to right center in the bottom of the eighth inning of game two to give the Jays a 6-5 victory over BU.

Nebraska Rivalry Part One: Down 4-3 with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Creighton softball team rallied to load the bases and put pressure on visiting No. 22 Nebraska but the Cornhuskers got out of the jam to escape with the one-run victory at the CU Sports Complex Wednesday evening.

The loss snapped a four-game win streak for Creighton (19-10) as Nebraska (26-7) dealt the Bluejays their first defeat at home this year.

Creighton jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Senior Amy Baker drew a two-out walk before junior Alexis Cantu drilled a two-run homer over the left field wall to put the Bluejays up two after one inning.

Nebraska quickly answered in the top of the second inning with back-to-back solo home runs then took the lead for good in the fifth before adding an insurance run in the seventh.

Following a leadoff walk, a double from CU sophomore Bri Lingl down the right field line put runners in scoring position with no outs. A one-out RBI single from junior Blair Lowe scored a run to cut the Husker lead to 4-3 with runners on the corners. Freshman Kelsey Allender drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases with one out on the scoreboard.

But the Huskers handled the pressure to strike out the final two Bluejay batters and escape with a 4-3 victory.

Northern Iowa Series Recap: Creighton swept a three-game series from Northern Iowa March 29-30 at the CU Sports Complex. The Bluejays swept a Friday doubleheader by scores of 4-1 and 11-1, with the second game shortened to five innings. CU clinched the Saturday finale 4-2.

Sophomore Liz Dike led the Bluejay offense last weekend with five hits versus Northern Iowa. Including a 4-for-4 effort in the finale. She recorded a triple, double and pair of singles. Freshman Kelsey Allender hit the first home run at the CU Sports Complex of 2013, and her second career homer with a grand slam in game two.

Junior Becca Changstrom remained undefeated in MVC starts at 4-0 and improved to 13-4 overall this season after registering two complete-game wins. She gave up just three earned runs on nine hits through 14 innings in the circle resulting in a 1.50 ERA. Changstrom notched her seventh double-digit strikeout performance in the opener with 11 K's.

Evansville Series Recap: Creighton senior Amy Baker capped off a record-setting week by blasting career home run No. 52 to spark a come-from-behind victory at Evansville March 16 and tie the MVC career home run record.

CU junior Becca Changstrom matched her career high of 13 K's on Friday night in a conference-opening win at Evansville. She struck out 10 Purple Aces in the series finale a day later.

The Bluejays opened the MVC season at 2-1 on the road for the third consecutive season. Creighton also went 2-1 at Evansville to begin the 2011 conference slate before the Jays earned a 2-1 split at Bradley last season.

Rebel Spring Games Recap: The Bluejays went 6-2 at the 2013 Rebel Spring Games March 9-13. The wins increased Creighton’s all-time record at the tourney to 49-9 (.845) in six appearances at the Florida tourney all under current head coach Brent Vigness.

The Bluejays shut out five opponents (Saint Francis (PA), North Dakota, Butler, Fairleigh Dickinson and Army) over the four-day span. The exception was a 6-2 victory over Youngstown State in eight innings after a walk-off grand slam from senior Amy Baker.

One CU loss was a no-hit 5-0 defeat at the hands of Eastern Illinois on March 10. Three days later Creighton dropped a 3-1 decision to Robert Morris.

UTA Maverick Invitational Recap: The Bluejays went 3-2 at the UTA Maverick Invitational in Arlington, Texas, to improve to 8-6 this season. After a pair of wins over host UTA and Lamar on March 1, CU upset then No. 21 Tulsa 4-3 in extra innings on March 2 for its first win over a ranked team since February 2010.

The Bluejays' bats struggled in the final two games of the tourney resulting in losses to Lamar and the host Mavericks. The losses snapped a five-game win streak for the Jays.

Fantastic February Finishes: Creighton finished the month of February with a 5-4 record. It marks the seventh straight season that head coach Brent Vigness has directed the Bluejays to a winning record in the first month of the season.

The Bluejays are 46-24 in February spanning those seven seasons to the beginning of 2007. CU’s 5-4 mark this season is the same record the Jays had in 2010 – the year of the program’s last NCAA Tournament appearance.

Central Arkansas Tournament Recap: The Bluejays went 3-1 at the Central Arkansas Tournament in Conway, Ark., to improve to 5-4 this season. CU’s only loss was to host UCA in its first true road game this season. Creighton outscored opponents 35-16 last weekend. The Bluejays hit .353 as a team over the four games while holding opponents to a .271 average.

The Bluejays are 8-1 all-time at tournaments hosted by Central Arkansas. Creighton went undefeated in five games at the UCA Spring Clash to open the 2007 campaign. The Jays are now 2-1 all-time against UCA with two wins in the 2007 tourney.

Kajikawa Classic Recap: Creighton opened 2013 at the Kajikawa Classic Feb. 7-9 with wins over New Mexico and Oregon State, leading to a 2-3 record. The Bluejays are 5-6 all-time at the Kajikawa Classic following a 3-3 ledger at Tempe in 2010.

Déjà Vu vs. OSU: Creighton’s win over Oregon State on Feb. 8, marked the Jays’ second-straight victory over the Beavers by the same score (5-3) in the same tournament (Kajikawa Classic) at the same location (Tempe, Ariz.), three years apart. CU is now 2-2 against the Pac-12 foe and head coach Brent Vigness is 2-1 versus OSU.

Telecky on Top against Oregon State:Brittany Telecky won her first start of the season in a 5-3 victory over Oregon State. The junior pitched 6 innings against OSU allowing just three runs on eight hits. She also came in as a relief pitcher against San Diego State for two innings, allowing no hits or runs and just one walk.

Season-Opening Salvo: The Bluejays’ season-opening win over New Mexico was Creighton’s third-straight victory to begin a season following opening-day wins in 2011 and 2012.

CU’s first-game win streak matches the longest in program history when the Jays previously won three consecutive openers from 2006-08 and 1998-2000. All three streaks were under the direction of current head coach Brent Vigness.

Creighton is 19-18 overall in season-opening contests including an 11-9 record under head coach Brent Vigness.

Preseason Predictions: The Creighton softball team placed four players on the 2013 preseason all-conference team as the league's coaches picked the Bluejays to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), the league office announced Jan. 23.

The fourth-place prediction is the highest preseason ranking for the Bluejays since 2010 when they were picked to win the Valley. Creighton has finished lower than fourth in the MVC regular season standings just three times in the past 16 seasons.

Senior catcher Amy Baker earned the second All-MVC preseason selection of her career to go with a nod from 2011 during her sophomore campaign. Additionally, three juniors claimed their first preseason honors in designated player and pitcher Alexis Cantu, pitcher Becca Changstrom and outfielder Ellen Homan. All four of the CU honorees earned All-MVC accolades after last season.

The four CU player selections match Southern Illinois for the most on the 2013 preseason squad. Additionally, the four players on the preseason all-conference team are the most for any Creighton squad dating back to 2004 when three Jays earned All-MVC preseason honors and current assistant Abby Johnson collected honorable mention recognition.

Recapping 2012: The Bluejays return 11 players from last season's team that compiled a 28-25-1 overall record and finished fifth in the MVC at 15-11. Creighton finished last season with a school-record 294 runs. CU led the MVC with a .292 batting average, 56 homers, 275 RBI and a .464 slugging percentage. The Jays ranked in the NCAA top-30 in scoring (No. 20), home runs per game (No. 22) and slugging percentage (No. 27) in 2012.